The Blonde Haired Swan
by DarkFairy207
Summary: Mr. Gold is feeling his grip on himself and his power slip as his feelings for Emma Swan grow. Only question is, will she return them? Rated T for now for language in later chapters, in even later chapters rating may go up.
1. A Surprise Request

**Can't help it Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin is my favorite character and I just had to write a fanfiction for . Hope you enjoy. This is kind of like a test chapter. If I get a couple of reviews telling me they like it, then I shall continue. If not, this will become a dead story and will sit in the archives of my computer forever!**

Mr. Gold frowned, gazing down at the sidewalk below. What was wrong with him? What had changed? He was used to being in charge, being the king if you will. So why did he suddenly feel so insignificant? The only answer he could come up with involved one blonde haired Sherriff.

Yes, Emma had been in town long enough that he thought he would have noticed how peasant-like he felt near her, but he had not. No, it was as epiphany, a sudden realization that he wasn't as powerful as he had thought. That simple girl, that truly beautiful yet simple girl had changed his world in a short matter of time, striking up feelings he had gleefully buried long ago. What right did this woman have, coming into his town and taking over? Not even the mayor had the capability of sending her away.

"Hey, watch it," A female voice protested as he felt his body come in contact with another.

"Miss Swan," he nodded, knowing immediately that it was her even before his eyes fell upon her face.

"Oh, Mr. Gold," the corners of her mouth turned down. A small nagging pain sparked in his chest as he saw her distaste.

"What is our lovely Sherriff off doing today? I don't suppose there have been any recent crimes to entertain you?" He hid his pain with his usual politeness.

"It's a small town, but it seems like there is always something to do," she mused more to herself than to him, "I'm going to see Henry,"

"Oh are you now? Does this mean our kind-hearted mayor has decided to let you visit again?" He raised an eyebrow, already knowing the answer to the question.

"No,"

"I hope for your sake, and the sake of Henry, you don't get caught. That woman can be real nasty when she wants,"

"I'm not afraid of her," Emma crossed her arms. The gesture would have seem stubborn and determined if she hadn't shifted her weight uncomfortably at the same moment.

"Right, well you have a good day Miss Swan," he bowed his head slightly. Part of him wanted to stay, to try to capture her interest with idle chatter, but he knew that she had limited time with Henry and he didn't want to come between that.

"Mr. Gold," she called before he had gotten more than five feet away.

"Yes?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but would you please come with me? If I do get caught, well, Regina doesn't seem to have you wrapped around her finger and I have a feeling she would be less likely to have me murdered if you are there," she couldn't believe she was saying that? He couldn't believe he was hearing it. She wanted him to come with her? A rational part of his mind told him no, that it would be a bad idea to spend too much time with the blonde haired Swan, but he couldn't help himself.

"I would love to," he smiled.

"Really?" Her brow furrowed in surprise, "You aren't going to try to make a deal? Sign a contract? Make me owe you a favor?"

"You already owe me Miss Swan. I have no need for anything else but that one favor. Unless of course, you wish to make a deal,"

"No, I think I'll pass," she chuckled softly.

"Very well then, shall we leave?"

"Sure," and with that they were walking, or more limping in the case of Mr. Gold. Neither of them said much as they made their way towards Regina's house. However, no words were needed. Both could feel the tension that had tethered them together. Both felt the need to say things, but could not bring their lips to form the correct words. The only difference was, Emma felt this way due to sudden discomfort, while Mr. Gold felt this way due to unexplainable attraction. He cursed himself for allowing it to happen. He knew how these sorts of stories ended. He was the villain, the beast, and he would not get the girl.


	2. Henry Makes A Discovery

**Wow, six reviews overnight… That was enough incentive for me to write another chapter! Hope you enjoy and please keep reviewing, I absolutely love feedback!**

'~*~'

"You care about that boy don't you?" Mr. Gold broke the unsettling silence that had fallen over them.

"He's my son,"

"Tell me, do you think it would be smart to push the rules?"

"What do you mean?" She frowned.

"What I mean, Miss Swan, is that did you think that you could be putting Henry in danger?"

"Danger? Regina may be an evil queen, but she isn't dangerous," she scoffed, "She wouldn't hurt Henry,"

"Could you repeat that?" His thoughts were directed at two small words that had dripped from her lips.

"Repeat what?"

"What did you say Regina was?"

"Oh! Ignore that, Henry's stories must be getting to me," she laughed.

"Stories?" He raised an eyebrow, "I do love stories,"

She shook her head, "He is convinced that everyone in Storybrooke is a character in a book of fairytales,"

"And he believes that Regina is the evil queen?"

"I used to think that was crazy but now that I know her," she shrugged. Mr. Gold couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"And who does he suspect you are?"

"Oh, yeah, that's where it gets a little ridiculous, he thinks I'm Snow White's daughter and that I am supposed to save this town from some sort of curse," she rolled her eyes. Mr. Gold felt anxiety begin to seep through his veins.

"And who, might I ask, does he think I am?" He kept his voice even and polite as always.

"He hasn't figured you out yet,"

"Who do _you _think I am?"

"Does it matter? None of it is true," she reminded him.

"I don't recall having said anything about it being true. Can a man not be curious?"

"I haven't thought about it," she lied. He smiled, pleased by the knowledge of her obvious deception. Her cheeks filled slightly with colour as she shook her hair in front of her, hiding her from his view. She was embarrassed because she had thought about it, meaning she had been thinking about him.He knew she hadn't thought of him for the reason he admittedly wished, but nonetheless he was pleased.

"You be sure to let me know when you come up with something," he smirked.

"Yeah, sure," she chuckled. Her laugh was pleasant and musical, something he had never noticed before. Why hadn't he noticed this before? It was becoming a routine, the unexpected. Nothing was normal with Emma Swan. Suddenly their shoulders clashed together, an accident caused by a simple misstep on Emma's part.

"Oops!" She yelled, recoiling from the sudden contact. She quickly moved herself to the opposite side of the sidewalk. That same ache in his chest returned. Why did she have to torture him like that? It was bad enough that she had damaged his superiority, now he had to deal with a damaged heart. He hated the stupid mortal feelings that he had been born with.

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath, not realizing he had spoken aloud.

"What?" Emma's brow furrowed with confusion.

"Miss Swan, it has been a pleasure walking with you. However, I think it would be best if you continued on your own. I have errands," he lied with displeasure.

"What? No," she shook her head stubbornly.

"Good day," he gave a slight bow.

"Wait!"As he began to walk away she caught his arm. He was surprised by the sudden contact and froze. "Look, I admit it, okay, I'm scared. Regina has power that I don't have, she has this entire town under her thumb, with the exception of you. Mayor or not, she has no power over you, I've seen you two talk and I can tell who is in charge. She wouldn't try to do anything to you, I don't know why, but I know that for sure. If I get caught who knows what she would do. I need to see Henry though, he needs his mother and I want to see my son. I don't care what she would do to be, it's Henry that I'm worried about. I'm being selfish, I know that, but I need you there, just in case something goes wrong," she pleaded.

"Miss Swan…" He trailed off, unable to produce the right words. His thoughts were locked on her hand which still rested on his arm. She suddenly noticed this as well and swiftly withdrew, jamming her hands in her pockets. "I think you think too highly of my abilities," this, of course was a lie. If only the pretty blond haired Swan knew how much power he really had.

"I know that you are the only one in this town who stands even higher than her," she pointed out. Not only was this Sherriff beautiful, but she was observant as well. "At least come for Henry's sake,"

"Very well Miss Swan," he finally agreed. She had found his soft spot. When it came to Henry, well, he tended to think of him as his own son. He knew how it felt to lose a son, he did not wish it on Emma.

"Thank you," she sighed with relief. He couldn't help but be in awe of the love this woman showed for the son she only recently came to recognize again.

"Only because of Henry," this, of course, was a lie. Truthfully, Henry was a minimal priority at the time. The only thing Mr. Gold could seem to focus on was the slightly distressed yet relieved expression Emma had on her face. She, as usual, was absolutely gorgeous. However, at that moment, something in those desperate eyes shined brightly and lit up every cell in her body, nearly making her glow. No! I growled internally, he couldn't think about her like that. He remembered what happened last time he had given his heart to a woman, he would not make that mistake again.

"Shall we walk ? I'm afraid we've wasted a lot of time with this chatter," Mr. Gold's eyes flickered to the sky which was beginning to darken.

"Don't worry, we have a few hours I think,"

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Sydney took her on a date," Emma smiled, there was something in her tone that suggested this wasn't a coincidence.

"Miss Swan! You didn't bribe him did you?" He said with an exaggerated amount of surprise and horror.

"Sort of. I don't call it bribery when a man eagerly accepts twenty dollars to go out with a woman,"

"Interesting point of view,"

"Anyway, they will hopefully be gone for the rest of the night, or at least for most of it. Of course, that's the plan. However, when it comes to Regina you can't always plan on her actions, she tends to be unpredictable," she noted.

"And if she does come back earlier than expected, that's where I come in?"

"Yes,"

"Maybe I should have you owe me a favor, strike a deal!" A bit of his natural personality leaked into his voice. It frightened him slightly but she didn't seem to notice.

"You're joking right?" Although laughing there was still worry in her voice.

"Of course I am the one favor you owe me is enough,"

"When are you going to collect by the way?" She wondered. His answer was a devilish smile that he used quite often before the curse. Why were his old habits coming back? Damn this woman! If this is what happened just by talking to her, what would happen if he kissed her?" He once again cursed himself. He had to stop thinking that way, it wasn't helping.

"When you are ready," he finally answered slyly.

"Ready? For what?"

"All good things come to those who wait," he ticked his finger in a manner much like that of a metronome. By this time almost all of his façade as Mr. Gold had melted away, revealing the creature within. Had Emma noticed? He prayed she hadn't.

"Fine then, I'll wait," she said with a hint of stubbornness.

"Very good, shall we proceed to see Henry?" He suggested. With that they were walking. This time the silence wasn't as overbearing or terrible. Instead it was rather comfortable, but still filled with hidden secrets that both were suppressing down into themselves. As they neared Regina's house they veered off towards the woods.

"Where are we going?" Mr. Gold asked, confused.

"Henry wanted me to meet him in the woods. I told him to stay towards the edge of the trees and to not get lost so he should be around here somewhere," her eyes scanned through the trees.

"Emma!" A small voice yelled. Emerging from the shadows was a smiling little boy. Henry ran to his mother, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hey kid," she smiled down at him.

"I missed you so much!" He muttered.

"Yeah me too,"

"It's nice to see you Henry," Mr. Gold smiled with genuine kindness. Henry's eyes rested on the older man standing beside his mother. Alertness filled him as asked,

"What is he doing here?"

"He's just here in case your mom finds out," she explained.

"Make him leave," he demanded. Mr. Gold's smiled drained away.

"Henry? What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"He's a bad guy,"

"What?"

"I figured out who he is. I've been thinking about it all weekend. You shouldn't talk to him,"

"Henry that isn't nice," she shook her head in both bewilderment and disappointment at her son's sudden rudeness.

"He isn't nice," he stuck an accusing finger at Gold. At this point Mr. Gold didn't care about the boy's poor manners, he cared about the fact that this intelligent little boy may have figured out his identity. It's not as though he really cared whether the curse was broken, eventually he would help break it himself. However, he had no done everything he had wished to do in this new world. However, if Emma eventually believed in the curse, and by extent believed he was evil, he would never be able to be closer to her. He needed to strengthen her trust.

"My apologies for whatever I have done to upset you," he told the boy. Henry didn't look angry or disgusted, but he didn't look happy.

"You didn't make a deal with him did you?" He asked, turning back to his very confused mother.

"Henry what's this about?" She asked.

"You did make a deal didn't you. Don't you know? You never make a deal with Rumplestitskin!" He complained.

"What?"

"He's Rumplestiltskin! I figured it out! He's a bad guy,"

"Henry, I assure you I'm not a bad person," there was sadness in Gold's voice. For a reason unknown to himself, he wanted approval from the boy. Although he was right, he was Rumplestiltskin and generally a person you wouldn't want to strike a deal with, that didn't mean he was a bad person, did it? It's not as if he tried to be the way he was, it just happened that way.

"Rumplestiltskin is a bad guy, it says so in my book," he protested.

"Maybe your book hasn't told my story properly. Books tend to be one sided, there is always good and evil in fairytales. Maybe I'm only portrayed as evil,"

"But…" The ten year-old boy was fighting for a way to argue, but could not seem to find the right words.

"You mustn't believe everything you read," Mr. Gold smiled softly. Henry bowed his head in defeat. The suddenly it snapped up and his eyes met with the older man's.

"You didn't deny it!" He yelled excitedly.

"Pardon?"

"You didn't deny it, when I said you were Rumplestiltskin!" He was practically jumping up and down.

"Henry I…"

"He didn't confirm it either," Emma pointed out.

So? He didn't deny it! That must mean he remembers!"

"I'm afraid I'm not sure what I'm supposedly remembering," he held a tight smile on his lips, careful not to portray his deception.

"The time before the curse, when you had all your powers, you remember don't you?" Although it was meant to be a question, it sounded more like an accusation.

"Henry, I thought no one remembered," Emma's brows knitted together.

"They don't, well, at least they aren't supposed to. Now that you're hear though, the curse is weakening,"

"So they are getting their memories back?"

"Well, no. Only my mom and him," he nodded towards Gold, "Because they were the most powerful,"

"I think you've got the wrong man. I have no idea what you are talking about, but I would love to hear about it someday. For now, I suggest you spend some time with your mother and forget about this for a while, okay?" Mr. Gold suggested. The mother and son exchanged glances and all amounts of stress and suspicion melted away.

"Okay," they both said in unison.

"I'll wait here, go take a walk," he told them. They both happily complied, vanishing into the shadows of forest. Once they were out of sight and ear-shot he let out a long sigh and sank against a nearby tree.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He said aloud, thinking about the elegant yet strong demeanor about the woman he had unwillingly fallen for. To make matters worse, he had father like feelings towards her son. Just this morning he had decided to distance himself from her, now he wanted to be closer. What was wrong with him?


	3. An Unexpected Visit

**Super stressed about school so my updates are going to start taking a while. However, I am going to try my best to keep up. Anyway, here is the next chapter. It's not super exciting but you all can deal with it haha **

Two hours later Mr. Gold was back in his small simple yet comfortable home, left to reflect on the day. Regina had not caught them, nor was there any words spoken on the way home. He saw this as a blessing for his thoughts were like a hurricane in his mind, bouncing against his skull almost painfully. Never had he been so confused, and of course it had to be because of the one woman who could possibly ruin everything he had worked so hard to gain.

Ever since Belle, he had decided to never love again, to never let anyone close. He had quite successfully done this for years. He had bottled his love like fine wine and set it next to uninvited pain. He left them there to gather dust, and that was where he wanted them to remain. However, Emma had created a small crack in both, allowing slow drips to escape the crevices. Part of him hated her for it, the other loved her. There, he admitted it. He was in love with Emma Swan. Would he ever act on this? No! Control was the one thing he was proud to have, whether it was over himself or other people, control was the ultimate prize. He would not allow himself to lose his most prized possession over a woman. A sudden knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Hello?" Mr. Gold called into the darkness, only opening his door wide enough to peer through.

"Down here," a familiar voice said.

"Henry?" His brows knitted together in confusion as he gazed at the boy.

"Can I come in?" He asked. Unable to say much else Gold stepped aside and allowed Henry to slip inside.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you, about earlier," the boy informed him, plopping down on the couch before he had a chance to offer a seat.

"Oh?"

"I know you remember, I know you know who you are,"

"And if I do? What exactly do you plan on achieving by interrogating me? It is not as if you can gather proof that I am who you say I am just by asking," he pointed out. He was not trying to be rude to Henry, however, he felt like he needed to make him understand that accusing him of things could be dangerous.

"You need to tell Emma! She has to break the curse, I know you want her to," he begged.

"What makes you think that? I have everything I need here, I'm practically a king! Why would I want to go back to a life in a prison cell?"

"Because you miss your powers and you hate being so human," Henry shrugged.

"Miss my powers? Oh, my dear boy, my magic might be absent in this world, but I have everything I could ever want. I have dominance over every person in this town. I have wealth, power, and peace. What on earth makes you think I would want to change that?"

"Because you are starting to feel again,"

"Excuse me?"

"I saw the way you were looking at Emma. I know you like her a lot, and you hate that. You want to have the curse broken so you can go back to feeling nothing. This world has made your vulnerable and you don't like it," Henry's tone was slightly sympathetic. Mr. Gold, while slightly alarmed at his knowledge, couldn't help but feel proud of the boy for sounding much more sophisticated than he had anticipated.

"Henry, if you believe me to be so dangerous, then why are you here, all alone?"

"Because I know you won't hurt me,"

"And how do you know that?"

"Because you know Emma would hate you if you did. Plus, you like me," he pointed out.

"What Emma thinks of me is irrelevant," Mr. Gold said dryly.

"You love her. I know you care about what she thinks of you. You look at her the way Prince Charming looks at Snow White. You keep trying to hide it but I can tell. Emma can't because she doesn't want to,"

"Emma is repulsed by me," he bowed his head.

"No she isn't," Henry argued.

"Oh? You're ten years old, what do you know of these things anyway?"

"I read,"

"I cannot love Emma," He gritted his teeth. Mr. Gold wanted the boy to leave at this point. He could feel overwhelming emotions that had built throughout the day about to burst through. Every time he heard her name he felt as though someone was punching him in the gut. It hurt, and he hated it. He thought he could manage his emotions, but he was a fool. He should never have helped Regina cast the curse. Had he not, he never would have had to meet Emma. He could be living happily with the limitless magic and freedom to do what he pleased. Most of all, he would not have to deal with these infuriating human emotions that plagued his every thoughts. They consumed him, building up and gushing through his veins. He felt as though he might burst any second.

"Good, stay away from her,"

"What was that?" His brows knitted together.

"I don't want you hurting her. Plus, she has to focus on breaking the curse,"

"Your mother and I are friends, Henry, am I not allowed to have friends? Life is this town is rather lonely, I find it to be boring. Besides, as you know, I do not have many friends. People don't like me and I don't blame them. They fear me. I do own this town after all. Not your mother, though. She is the only one in Storybrooke who is not frightened by me. Therefore, she is my only friend,"

"You aren't friends,"

"Henry, Regina will worry if you are not home when she arrives," Mr. Gold quickly changed the subject. The 10 year old eyes the darkened sky with a frown.

"Fine,"

"Good night," he grumbled, watching the boy disappear out the door. The responsible thing to do would be to drive him home, but Gold knew he would not last another round of questions. As the sound of the door clicked shut he lost all composure. He let out an angst cry and with a blinding rush of emotion he grabbed the nearest item to him and pitched it across the room. The exertion of energy felt good, until he heard the tinkling of porcelain hitting his fine wood floors. With horror, his eyes flickered to the shelves where he kept his most precious items. Sure enough, one was missing.

"No," he whispered. He ran across the room and fell to his knees as he found his precious teacup in pieces.

**There you go! Please review! Thank you for reading, hope to update soon! Love you all!**


	4. Finally Letting Go

**Sorry I've been taking so long to update. I have at least three other fanfictions that I have to keep up with and I usually won't upload something until I have over 1,000 words so it takes me a bit to write for all of them. Anyway! I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Sorry that I'm not moving fast into the romance but I just write what feels write. Please review!**

'~*~'

Mr. Gold awoke to the sound of his shop door being open, the little bell ringing cheerfully. He was confused for a moment, but then remembered that he had rushed to his shop almost immediately after breaking the teacup. He sat up abruptly and began to smooth his long brown hair and make himself look somewhat presentable.

"Shop's closed. I must have forgotten to lock the door, come back la…" He froze as a familiar and pleasant face came into view. "Miss Swan, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Did you sleep here?" She raised a brow.

"I'm suppose I did. I was here rather late; I must have drifted off,"

Emma gave him and odd look before asking, "Why?"

"Is there something you needed, Emma?"

"I came by to say thank you, for yesterday I mean," she sighed, her eyes grazing over the items littered around the shop.

"Think nothing of it," he smiled.

"Hey, what's that?" She nodded towards the half assembled teacup. He felt his body become rigid as her fingers reached out to touch it.

"That, my blonde haired swan, is the remains of a teacup. I'm fixing it for a friend, it means a great deal to them,"

"If it means so much to them, how did it end up like this?" she raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Perhaps, it was broken during an emotional outburst," his voice made the entire situation obvious.

"Are you okay?" she sat on his table and crossed her arms over her chest. With most of her body in view now he could see that she was wearing her usual attire. Her skin tight jeans and form fitting top hugged each curve that accented her slim body. Over top her white spaghetti strap top was her signature deep red jacket. Mr. Gold couldn't help but appreciate her beauty; any sane man would have to notice. For a moment, he was distracted.

"I'm fine,"

"No you're not, so tell me what's wrong,"

"Now you see," he stood, "that's not really any of your business now is it?"

"As your sheriff, no, it isn't. Legally, I can't do anything to force that sort of information from you. However, as a friend I think it is my business. Besides, you don't seem like the type of man who is easily upset so when you are upset obviously something big has happened, so what's wrong," she insisted further.

"Friend?" He raised a brow.

"Yes, my friend," the world was not alien to him. Coming from her lips, on the other hand, made it sound like the most beautiful new word he had ever heard. There was something else too, something that made his heart flutter for just a moment. Within her eyes he saw flash of affection. Perhaps it was simply friendly affection, but it was there nonetheless. He quickly swallowed down his excitement, knowing the disappointment later on would be so much worse if he allowed his feelings to get out of hand.

"When did this happen? Was it not so long ago that you voiced your distaste towards me?"

"Yes, I get it; I was rude to you before. I can't help it though, you are intimidating and I don't like to be intimidated. You helped me yesterday, though. Granted, you were never actually needed as far as saving my ass from Regina, but you still came anyway. I sort of figured we were friends," Emma shrugged. Mr. Gold let out a long sigh. It was not as if he could truly explain to her what was wrong with him. He had to give her some sort of answer; no doubt she would never let it go if he didn't.

"What's wrong, Miss Swan, is that I feel as though I've lost something precious, something dear to me. I'm not sure I can get it back," he admitted mildly.

"What did you lose? I may be able to help you find it,"

"Well, you see, that's just it. No one can help me find it because it is not an object. It is not something you can simply make posters for and wait for your phone to ring. No, this is something much less material. Besides, I haven't really lost it. Someone stole it from me," he wondered if she knew he was talking about his power over the town and everyone in it.

"You have it all, what could you have possibly lost?"

"I appreciate your concern, but I'd really rather not talk about it. If you would excuse me, I would like to finish fixing this cup,"

"But… Fine," she shook her head.

"Perhaps, if you are still curious, we could discuss this matter over dinner," he watched her reaction to this suggestion with sad eyes. Her body became rigid and for a moment he saw that flash of disgust and uncertainty in her eyes. He hated that.

"You mean," she gulped, "like a date?"

"As friends, my dear, as friends,"

"Okay," her body relaxed.

"Seven o' clock at Granny's?"

"Sure,"

"Very good, now if you don't mind, I would like to be left to my work," he said. Emma nodded and left without another word. "Good-bye my fair-haired beauty," he muttered to himself. His eyes flickered to the cup and he frowned. What was he doing? He wanted the beautiful Emma, yet he still clung to the porcelain that brought him so much pain. His fingers traced the jagged sharp edges of each piece, not caring when a small slice appeared on his thumb.

"Sweet Belle, I once loved you, but it is time," he sighed, scooping all the pieces. As if he was about drop a bouquet of roses on a grave, he allowed each piece to slip between his fingertips and land in the trash below. The final slice of the cup rested in his palm, and he stared at it with recognition. Even though the entire item had been shattered, he knew exactly which piece he held. It was _the _piece, the one with the missing chip that seemed to signify the love he and Belle had shared so long ago. It was time to let go, he realized, time to find love once again. Pinching the cold delicate porcelain between his fingertips, he brought it to his lips, placing a sad yet hopeful kiss onto it before allowing it to join the others.

**Hope you enjoyed, I'll try to update soon. Please review and favorite!**


	5. The Queen Pays A Visit

**Yes, yes I am well aware of how long it had been. Thus why I have decided to update finally. Normally I am much more diligent about these things but with around 5 other fanfictions I am writing… It is just hard to keep up to say the least. I hope you enjoy and I beg, do not forget to review!**

Mr. Gold was careful to keep his thoughts directed away from the dinner. He distracted himself by carefully cleaning the items around his shop. It was a tedious process and, thankfully, took all his concentration. The more delicate the piece, the less free time he had to think. He didn't want to come to the realization that his emotions and humanity had been slowly leaking into him. He would like to blame it on Emma completely, but unfortunately it was not all her fault. The more time he spent around Emma's son, Henry, the more he remembered his own son, the one he had yet to find.

"Rumpelstilskin!" A grating voice sounded. The sudden noise intruded into his deep concentration and jolted him back to full awareness.

"I would appreciate it," his lifted his eyes slowly, "If you did not use that name in public, your majesty,"

"No one's here, besides, I've been calling your name for nearly five minutes and you have chosen to ignore me," Regina sat on the edge of his working table. He eyed her wearily.

"What do you want?"

"Can't I just come by and see how you are doing?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No,"

"Well then, enough pleasantries. I want to know what's going on between you and Miss Swan." Regina's eyes narrowed at him, waiting for an answer. He put on one of his ever-so-polite smiles.

"Still have Sydney spying I see,"

"Actually, I overheard Mary-Margret discussing it with David this morning. It sounded as though Emma was confused about recent interactions between the two of you. I figured I'd drop by and see what that was about."

"I don't see how that's your business,"

"You know why it's my business. Everything she does is my business," she muttered darkly.

He stood, grasping his cane tightly not for supportive reasons, but simply because he was beginning to become annoyed. He stood over her, making himself large and tall. His goal was to intimidate and as much as Regina tried to hide it, it worked.

"Regina, drop it,"

"I will not,"

"You just can't accept it, can you? Emma is going to destroy everything you've built and that just kills you," he grinned widely.

"What about you? If she breaks the curse you go back to jail," she reminded him smugly.

"My life here is nice, but do you think I would be upset if I regained all of my powers? You might as well accept that your plan is failing, it's slipping through your fingertips like water and there isn't much you can do,"

"You think this is only about the curse? What about my son? I'm losing him too. You of all people should know how that feels,"

His smile disappeared as fast as it had come. He glared at her darkly, suddenly feeling a deep resentment. "Do not think for a moment that you have any idea what it is like to lose a son. You don't even know what it is to love your son,"

"Right," she snorted, "And you know what it is to love yours? You lost him because you were selfish and unwilling to give up your power. That doesn't sound like love to me,"

"You don't think that hasn't eaten me since the moment it happened?" He hissed through his teeth. Mr. Gold was proud of his ability to keep control during stressful situations, but the mention of his son was not a situation that allowed him to keep any sort of composure.

"Oh I bet it has,"

"What would you sacrifice for your son, Regina? Would you give him the happiness he deserves?"

"I am doing what's best for him. His happiness is irrelevant," she shook her head.

"Oh, that's where you are wrong. His happiness is everything. What's best for him is his mother, not you," he sighed, taking a step backwards. Regina visibly relaxed at this, but was still tensed at his remark.

"I am his mother,"

"No, you are his current caretaker, but that does not make you his mother. Emma is his mother,"

"I love him!"

"You love yourself," Mr. Gold said with a level voice. This only seemed to anger her more.

"As hard to believe as it may be, I do love him," she lowered her voice.

"As pleasing as this conversation has been, I really think I should be getting back to work," he gave another warm smile before returning to his chair behind the table.

"You never answered my question," she reminded him, regaining composure.

"Question?"

"What is going on with you and Miss Swan?" She demanded. He let out a long sigh.

"Am I not allowed to have friends? Can I not enjoy the company of another person?" He asked seriously.

"Sure you can, but not with her,"

Mr. Gold raised his brown eyes to meet hers, arching an inquisitive brow.

"Ordering me around now are we? You are forgetting your place, your majesty. You see, you have no power, no control over me. Don't forget who helped you get the life you so long sought after. Don't forget who brought Henry to you. Most of all, don't forget who has the true power here," he said in a low and devilish voice. Regina paled; she knew he spoke the truth.

"Now, if you would please excuse me, I have work to do," he requested kindly. She gritted her teeth, her way of saying that this was far from over, before storming out the shop. He chuckled dryly under his breath, twirling his cane absentmindedly. When would that woman ever learn? Mr. Gold was in charge, not her. She still had the idea that the world was hers and that delusion was beginning to get on his nerves.

He relaxed into his chair and closed his eyes, finally feeling the weight of the conversation he had just been engaged in. It seemed as though thoughts of his son were going to be gnawing at his mind for a while. It was inevitable that he should eventually have to spend more than five minutes a day thinking about him.

Truthfully, the pain never left, it lurked always in the deep recesses of his mind. However, he was usually good at making himself numb to it. Not today, everything had to remind him, which brought him to his dinner with Emma. He had to make her remember. Though his feelings for her grew, he would not distract himself too terribly. He had already wasted too much time. He wanted Baelfire back no matter the cost and if that meant going back to being imprisoned, then he would willingly do so. Even, and he cringed at the thought, if that meant revealing his true self and lose the possible love he might eventually share with Emma.

**That's it for now. Please Review!**


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